


Holly Jolly Christmas (A Christmas OC Challenge)

by megan_rose



Category: OCs - Fandom, Original characters - Fandom, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: 25DaysofOC, Christmas fic, Gen, OC Challenge, OCs - Freeform, Original Characters - Freeform, Prompt Fic, undertale oc - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-28
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-01 05:36:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8610739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megan_rose/pseuds/megan_rose
Summary: ~have a holly jolly Christmas, it's the best time of the year~This Christmas, join in on the adventures of the OC's from the series Soul in Hand as they count down to Christmas Day. Every day, a Christmas-themed adventure awaits them.





	1. Manus and Snow Don't Get Along

**Author's Note:**

> THIS IS GOING TO BE SO AMAZING I AM SO EXCITED!!!! Alright, so my best friend fallentale and I both wanted to do a Christmas OC Challenge this December. However, we searched all over and couldn't find ANY Christmas-themed OC challenges. So I decided to create my own prompts and we could use those! So shoutout to fallentale for sparking that idea with me (they came up with some of the prompts on my list too). Also if you enjoy this, you can head over to their work because they're doing the same challenge as me. They already have the first two days out and WOW IT'S AMAZING!  
> Also, if you want the 25-day prompts to do this, give me a message on either my tumblr (meg-warkoski) or my Pinterest (mwarkoski) for the deeds! Use the tag 25DaysofOC so that I can read them too! :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 1: One of your OCs see snow for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more note: I'm going to be gone on December 1, 2, and most of 3 so those are the three days that'll be posted ahead of time. That's all!

Manus sighed loudly, sliding off of the couch he was lying on. He’d been bored many times in his life, but this was different. Typically his “siblings” were around too, so he had someone to torture or entertain him. This time, nobody was around.  
Libertas and Erigo had gone out shopping, mainly because Erigo needed new boxing gloves and Libertas craved getting a flower crown. Sagax had _another_ dance rehearsal with Mettaton for one of the recent Broadway shows they were starring in. Fides had to help Muffet with the Butterfly Pavilion that day, and Laetus left to run a couple experiments at the local lab. As for Chara and Frisk, they had meetings set up with the government regarding monster vs. human laws.  
So Manus was completely home alone.  
“Ugh, this is stupid,” Manus muttered. “I wish someone was here, even if it was Erigo. Annoying him is more fun than just sitting in silence.” He was about to reach for the TV remote when a sound from outside interrupted him.  
The wind outside whistled loudly, with tree branch rustling together to add more sound. Small, white flakes began to fall out of the gray clouds. As time went on, the flakes got larger and larger, piling onto the ground.  
“What… is that?” Manus whispered. He stood up on the couch and pressed his face against the window. With sudden interest to reach out and touch the flakes, he threw open the window.  
The wind twirled through the window, blowing cold air into Manus’ face. Flakes of snow followed, dancing all over him. Manus stumbled back and fell onto the floor, hitting his head on the coffee table in the process. Slowly lifting his head, he observed the substance all over his face. As more snowflakes fell on his face and in his hair, he felt them melt into sticky water.  
“What the _hell_?!” Manus exclaimed, trying to wipe the water off of him. “That’s disguising!” He jumped up and slammed the window shut. “Stupid inhumane weathers.” He then proceeded to dry himself off while muttering curses to his new, profound discovery.

“We’re home!” Erigo called from the entrance of the house. “Um… anyone home? Toriel, Laetus, Fides, Manus, Sagax? Anyone?” Silence answered his calls, causing Libertas and Erigo to look back at each other.  
“I wonder where they all ran off to,” Libertas sighed, adjusting her new flower crown on her head as she sat on a couch in the living room. “How do I look Erigo?” He smiled back and answered, “Like a flower princess.” causing her to giggle.  
“Oh, hey, there you are!” Erigo exclaimed as he caught Manus at the corner of his eye. Manus shot a look back as he came into the living room with a towel around his shoulders. “Uh, what’s the towel for?”  
“That cursed white stuff outside got me wet,” Manus growled. “I hate it.”  
“The white stuff…?” Erigo questioned. “Do you mean the snow?” Fighting back the urge to laugh, he kept a straight face when he saw the fury written all over Manus’ face.  
“Oh, it has a name,” he grumbled. “Disgusting name.”  
“Disgusting?!” Libertas gasped. “But snow is beautiful! It’s cold and fun and fluffy!”  
“It made me wet,” Manus growled.  
“That’s what snow is though!” Libertas cried. “But it’s pretty, especially when it slowly falls onto the ground and powders all the roads and buildings!”  
“Those words just made me throw up in my mouth,” Manus snapped. Erigo furrowed his eyebrows.  
“Just leave him be Libertas, he seems like he won’t get out of this mood,” he commented. “Ok, I’ll be right back. I’ve got to put these suckers away.” Holding both of his shiny, new, orange boxing gloves in one arm, he sprinted up the stairs to his room.  
“How can you not love snow?!” Libertas questioned. “Everyone loves snow, it’s a blanket of beauty! How can someone hate such a precious weather like snow?”  
“I do, so it’s possible,” Manus muttered. Libertas sighed, feeling frustrated with Manus’ behavior. She stared outside, watching the snowflakes falling. How could she convince Manus that snow really wasn’t all that bad? Staring at the winter wonderland outside, an idea popped into her head.  
“Come with me,” she said, grabbing Manus’ hand and leading him to the front door.  
“And go out in that horrendous storm? No way!” He yanked Libertas’ hand away from his, crossing his arms in disinterest. Feeling a little more discouraged than before, she decided to try again. After all, she knew the snow would make her feel better after, so she might as well.  
“Come on,” she requested again, opening the door to let the cool air into the house. Manus shivered, slouching his shoulders. “It’s going to be cold, just embrace it! Come out and see how pretty it really is!”  
“Ughhhhh, fineeee, if it’ll make you leave me alone,” Manus growled. He stepped out of the house, watching the snow fall onto the ground from the front porch.  
“Manus, look!” Libertas cried. She jumped off of the front porch and ran into the snow. She allowed the flakes to cover her face, hair, and clothes, covering her in white flakes. “Isn’t it cool?!”  
“But… it makes you wet,” he stated.  
“Who cares if it makes you wet?” she questioned. “You can clean up after! But for now, it’s fun! And it tickles when they all land on you!”  
“Really?” he questioned. He reached his hand out and let a couple flakes fall on it. Then he rubbed the condensed water in with a disgusted look on his face.  
“Yeah, see!” she giggled. “You can also make snow angels on the ground by lying on it and moving your arms and legs back and forth! Come on, try it!” Manus watched Libertas as she giggled happily, making snow angels and watching the snow attach to her. Manus fought urges to join her, but he found himself inching more and more out of the front porch.  
“Fuck it,” he muttered, stepping off the steps to the porch. Right away, the flakes began sticking in his hair and on his clothes. He wanted to get the weird stuff off his hair and clothes, but… he had to admit, Libertas was right.  
It tickled and it was pretty.  
He followed Libertas’ footprints in the snow to avoid getting his shoes wet. Going to the front yard where Libertas was, he sat down in the snow. He observed how she made a snow angel before lying completely on his back.  
“I’m going to hate myself later for doing this,” he grumbled. Moving his arms and legs back and forth, he felt layers of snow cover his hands, arms, and legs. Snowflakes also fell on his face, going up his nose and in his mouth, making him hack and gasp in horror. Libertas laughed, but immediately stopped after seeing the look on his face.  
“Now stand up, and look at what you made,” Libertas continued. Manus stood up and stepped away from his creation. He turned around and stared at it.  
“See? Don’t you love it?!” Libertas questioned. Manus shrugged his shoulders and muttered, “It’s fine, I guess.” But deep down inside, Manus was amazed that such powdery, cold substance could make such a thing like what he saw on the ground. He smiled a tiny bit, but he turned away to prevent Libertas from seeing it.  
Despite his attempts though, Libertas could see it. And seeing him smile made her even happier.


	2. Broadway Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2: One of your OCs discover they are allergic to candy canes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo I introduced a new OC in this chapter! I don't think she'll appear in the other days, but she's in book 3 of my Soul in Hand series! I wasn't going to introduce her, but I decided why not. ALSO I'm so sorry about how behind I am. School hates me and my computer broke so that's cool. When winter break arrives, I'll have more time to write. Until then, updates will still be slow. My goal is to FINALLY get a chapter of Magic Like No Other out by tonight. If that doesn't happen, it'll probably be tomorrow since I have half days all week at school. Ok, that's all from me! Enjoy the chapter.  
> P.S: if you can spot the reference around act 2 of the show in this chapter, congrats you're cool.

“Oh my gosh, I am _so_ excited for opening night!” Sagax squealed, squiggling in her seat. “This is going to be so amazing! We’ve worked so hard on this for months, and all our hard work is finally going to pay off!”  
“We’re going to do _fabulous_ , darling,” Mettaton, Sagax’s longtime theatre partner, said with encouragement in every word. He pulled her hair back into a bun so she could begin applying concealer to her face. “Is anyone you know coming tonight?”  
"I know Libertas and Erigo are,” Sagax answered. “And Erigo’ll probably force Manus to.” Mettaton laughed bitterly, still not a fan of him. “I know Frisk is trying to, but they had meetings and things to work on tonight. Laetus had experiments with Alphys too, and I think Fides is joining them. Toriel will probably come tonight.”  
"And what about… _you-know-who_?” Mettaton chuckled, humming. Sagax blushed through her concealer as she stopped putting eyeliner on.  
“She hasn’t texted back yet,” Sagax giggled. “But I’m not sure yet. I hope so.” Mettaton laughed, throwing his head back, as he yelled, “Oh, yes! You go girl!” Sagax rolled her eyes, proceeding to do her makeup.  
“Oh, Sagax!” Mettaton’s voice called out. Sagax turned around in her seat to find Mettaton handing a candy cane to her. “Merry Christmas darling. Here’s to December, the month of peace and love, and all the amazing shows we’ll do.” Sagax smiled widely and took the peppermint treat.  
“Thank you,” she giggled. Opening the wrapper, she stuck the candy cane in her mouth.

“Ten minutes until the curtains open!” the stage manager yelled into the green room, alerting the actors preparing to go on-stage.  
“Thank you ten!” the actors of _Peter and the Starcatcher_ called in unison. The actors went back to chattering among themselves. Mettaton strolled across the room to find Sagax staring at the ground.  
"Are you ready, Sagax?” Mettaton asked. “Or should I say, Molly?”  
“Mettaton, what’s wrong with me?!” Sagax cried. Her arms, which were visible because of her short dress, were covered in swollen hives. “I just randomly broke out in them! I don’t know what’s wrong with me! Why did this happen?!”  
“What on Earth…” Mettaton gasped. Sagax groaned, the unbearable itch appearing all over her arms, legs, and face. She itched and scratched until hives appeared there too. Sagax gasped, realizing what she had done, and quickly grabbed a hand mirror. She screamed in horror as she observed each blotch on her face, arms, and legs.  
“Oh God, I look like a mess!” Sagax cried. “How can this happen? And why on opening night?!”  
“Do you think the hives could’ve been from that candy cane I gave you earlier?” Mettaton questioned.  
“Hmm… now that you think of it… it might’ve been!” Sagax exclaimed. “Oh no! Ugh, how was I supposed to know I’m allergic to candy canes?!”  
“Well, do you want your understudy to take over for tonight?” Mettaton asked. Sagax looked over at her understudy Kelsey, who had suddenly peeked her head up after hearing her name.  
“Well, I suppose so,” Sagax whispered. Her phone immediately dinged after, and she picked it up. As she read it, her face fell.  
“What is it, hun?” Mettaton asked.  
“It’s Val… she’s coming tonight,” Sagax sighed. “Well now I don’t want to sit out this show! I want her to see me!”  
“I understand,” Mettaton replied. “Sorry Kelsey.” Kelsey huffed and crossed her arms. “Come on hun, let’s cover up as many hives as we can before the curtains raise.” He took Sagax’s hand and pulled her into the dressing room to begin attempts on covering up the horrific hives.

As the curtains raised, the audience hushed themselves and excitedly stared at the stage, excited for what kind of magic would appear on the stage. Would it be breathtaking? Or would it bore them?  
“I’m excited, are you my children?” Toriel whispered. Libertas nodded, her eyes shimmering with eagerness.  
“I’m not,” Manus scoffed. Erigo elbowed him, causing him to growl. Erigo snapped, “Correction: you’re excited to see Sagax.” Manus rolled his eyes.  
“I know _I’m_ excited to see her on-stage,” Valentina sighed, her heart fluttering at the thought of seeing her on the big, bright stage in her adorable costume and stunning makeup. She brushed her long, pink-blonde hair out of her face and glued her chocolate-brown eyes on the stage as the stage lit up. A group of men stood on the stage.  
“When I was a boy, I wished I could fly,” the boy in the middle said.  
“So did I,” said a boy next to him.  
“Out the window and over the trees-” a third continued.  
“High as a cloud and lighter than air-” a fourth said. A girl pushed through the group of men, revealing herself. The entire audience gasped, horrified by the swollen hives covering her wherever her dress wasn’t. She looked pained, but she proceeded with her line, perfectly in character.  
“Then loop the loop and up to the stars! I dreamed about flying all the time.” There was a pause as everyone else stared at her. The audience couldn’t figure out if it was part of the show or because of her horrifying hives. “What? Girls dream.”  
“What happened to Sagax?” Toriel whispered to Valentina, staring at her as the men continued with lines.  
“I’m not sure,” she answered, just as shocked and confused as Toriel. As she looked back at Sagax, her face muscles relaxed and a smile planted on her face. “But either way, I know she’s going to do amazing. She’s already blown my mind.”  
The show continued on, despite the many mistakes that happened during the show. People forgot lines, entered the stage at wrong times, and more. Plus Sagax’s hives got in the way at times and the plot in general was a little confusing overall in Act One.  
However, things began to shape up in Act Two.  
The first scene began with a group of men on-stage, in unusual poses. The audience hysterically laughed at them, all being dressed as mermaids. They danced around as one mermaid began singing off-key.  
“You’re likely wond’ring what we’ve had to drink now,” he sang, unenthusiastic about the performance. “And you might think ‘now, they’ve gone too far.’ But something we should not have been exposed to we got too close to by swimming aft of Peter’s raft. And here we are. And it was starstuff from the skies that made each fish the lovely dish before your eyes.”  
“Who the hell is that singing?” Erigo muttered.  
“Um… not sure,” Toriel answered, flipping through the program. “All it says is his last name, Wolf. Huh, interesting.” Despite how strange and spontaneous the performance was, it definitely brightened the mood of the audience after a rocky first act.  
It also gave the cast time to regain strength. Sagax’s hives didn’t disappear, but they definitely got better. The second act improved by a lot, even if the plot was still weird.  
But through it all, the entire cast stood proudly and with boldness as the audience cheered for curtain call. Then everyone rushed back outside of the theatre, awaiting the actors to congratulate them.  
“Sagax, you did so well!” Toriel cried as she threw Sagax into a huge hug. “I am so proud of you!”  
“Thank you!” Sagax thanked as Libertas joined the hug. “What did you think of it overall?”  
“It was stupid,” Manus growled. Erigo elbowed him once again, causing him to burst into a fit of rage and storm out of the theatre to wait for the rest of them.  
“I will be honest, the plot was a tad bit hard to understand,” Toriel admitted. “And I did feel bad about your hives too. What happened?”  
“Well, let’s just say I’m apparently allergic to candy canes,” Sagax sighed, crossing her arms. “As for the plot, I agree. Only some people can understand.”  
“I understood!” Libertas blurted, a proud giggle following. Sagax smiled and hugged her sister once more.  
“One more question; why did Peter refuse to kiss you?” Erigo asked with a laugh. “It looked really weird that he replaced all the kisses with high-fives.”  
“Oh, that was because stupid Tom was worried he’d get hives too if I kissed him,” Sagax groaned, rolling her eyes. “Whatever, I didn’t really want to kiss him anyways.”  
“I didn’t really want you to kiss him either,” a voice jumped in. Sagax’s smile widened as she walked past her family to see Valentina there. She jumped into her hug, laughing with her. “You were so great, I loved every moment of it.”  
“Really, even with my hideous hives and the weird plot?” Sagax questioned.  
“Of course, probably because I ignored the plot and only focused on your beautiful face the whole time,” Valentina answered, blushing and staring at the floor. Sagax planted a large kiss on her cheek, where one of her many freckles were.  
“I freakin’ love you, thanks for coming to my show,” Sagax giggled. She rested her head on Val’s shoulder, the two of them blushing and enjoying each other’s existence.  
“OOOOOHHHH YES, SHIP!” Mettaton yelled, crossing towards the exit and making love eyes at them. Sagax and Valentina simply laughed at the remark.  
Maybe Mettaton accidentally giving Sagax something she was allergic to wasn’t so bad after all.


	3. Kiss Her Once For Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3: Two OCs pull a mistletoe prank on two other OCs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, so I fell really behind in this. My bad ahah. Lucky for me, I can't sleep because I can't relax. So now I have time to write. ;) I hope you guys enjoy!  
> Listen to some music during this chapter: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fXE7msZvMcc

April Fool’s Day was the perfect holiday for pranking. A whole day dedicated to whoopee cushions and putting shaving cream in toothpaste bottles. Families, friends, and relationships of all sort could spend a day laughing about silly, pointless jokes.  
But let’s be honest. Christmas was a better time for pranking. Especially in the form of mistletoe.  
“Have a holly jolly Christmas, it’s the best time of the year…” Erigo sang, snickering afterwards as he stared at his creation. He felt satisfaction in his soul, proud of his mini project. He then heard a certain soul of satisfaction walk into the kitchen.  
“Whatcha doing, Erigo?” Laetus asked, peering over his shoulder. Erigo spun around, holding his surprise behind his back.  
“Oh, y’know, just,” Erigo began, pulling the mistletoe from behind his back, “making a little prank.”  
“A-A mistletoe prank?” Laetus gasped. Erigo nodded, a devilish smirk on his face. “I’ve only ever heard of mistletoe in documentaries! And _Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer_ , but that’s it.”  
“How coincidental, because I was singing the lyrics to ‘Holly Jolly Christmas’ from that movie,” Erigo chuckled. He crossed Laetus, singing, “Ho, ho, the mistletoe, hung where you can see. Somebody waits for you. _Kiss her once for me_.” Erigo raised his eyebrows at that part, trying to hint to Laetus what he was going to do. They stared back at him, their eyes blinking a couple times. Erigo sighed, defeated.  
“I’m going to prank Libertas and Manus with this.”  
Laetus gasped, covering their mouth and holding back giggles. Erigo chuckled back, as giddy as they were.  
“Wait, right now you are?!”  
“Yes, right now!” Erigo ducked behind the kitchen table, pulling Laetus down with him. “Libertas and Manus are in the living room. I’m gonna place this bad boy between them, and boom! Prank successful. I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when it happens.”  
“Uh, now that I think of it, how do you think _Manus_ will react to it?” Laetus questioned. They knew of the troublesome boy and how sensitive he was to any sort of embarrassment.  
It could end very badly.  
“Eh, I’ve been rough on him lately,” Erigo mumbled. “I need to help him let loose a little for the holidays. A harmless prank is the perfect way to do that!” Erigo stood up from crouching behind the table and made his way to the living room, holding back his mighty laughs. Laetus stood up and quietly followed behind him.  
“So I was thinking maybe using the picture of Sagax in the snow for my photography project?” Libertas asked, showing Manus the photo she took earlier. “But I also like the picture of the snow-covered bird. It looks cool.” Manus sighed and crossed his arms.  
“I honestly couldn’t care less.” He put his headphones back in, resuming My Chemical Romance’s “Dead!”  
“Heyyyy!” Erigo greeted, hiding the mistletoe behind his back once again. His smile was larger and more hearty than usual, making Libertas share the stretched smile.  
“Hi Erigo!” Libertas giggled. “You look happy.”  
“Oh, I am,” he chuckled. “Wait, is Manus listening too? I need him to be paying attention too.” He looked over to find Manus with his headphones plugged in, his eyes shut. He could hear the music from his phone, with the lead singer singing and the guitar blasting heavy rhythms.  
“Hey, Manus,” Laetus whispered, poking him. Manus jumped, pausing his music. He noticed Erigo and grumbled, pulling his headphones out of his ears.  
“What do you want?” Manus muttered.  
“I just wanted to, uh, show you something,” Erigo giggled.  
“Show us what?” Libertas asked, her eyes glistening with curiosity.  
“Yeah, what?” Manus snarled, uninterested in what Erigo had to say. His eyes widened suddenly when he saw Erigo pull the plant from behind his back, dangling it between Libertas and him.  
“Mistletoe!” Erigo yelled.  
“Now you have to kiss each other!” Laetus added, breaking into a chorus of laughs with Erigo. Manus fumed with anger, his face turning red, as Libertas also giggling at the joke.  
“You guys are silly,” she said, her graceful laugh following.  
“Are you kidding me?” Manus growled. “ _This_ is what you interrupted my music for? A stupid _mistletoe_? I swear…”  
“Well, now you have to kiss,” Erigo pointed out. “It’s kinda part of the prank. I don’t really care if you think it’s stupid. It’s tradition.” Manus, still displeased, crossed his arms and glared.  
“Relax Manus, it’s just a Christmas prank,” Laetus reassured. Manus shifted away from them, not wanting to talk to anyone.  
“Here Manus, I’ll kiss you and get it over with,” Libertas offered. She smiled and placed her soft lips on his cheek, making his eyes widen in shock. “There, it’s over!”  
Erigo and Laetus hollered and laughed as Manus sat up, rubbing the spot where Libertas kissed him. He screamed, “Gah, germs!” and rubbed his face as hard as he could. This caused Libertas to giggle innocently too.  
“I hate you all sometimes!” Manus stormed off, blasting his music and slamming the door to his room. Erigo and Laetus regained themselves, their sides aching from laughing so hard.  
“You’re a trooper Libertas, we love you,” Erigo chuckled. He and Laetus threw Libertas into a group hug, making the blush on her cheeks darken.  
It surely was an amazing mistletoe prank.


	4. Scrooge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 4: All of your OCs participate in a school Christmas play (whether as cast or crew).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only took out one of my OCs for this one because I felt like he didn't fit this. But oh well.

“What?!” Manus exclaimed, a scowl on his face. “A Christmas show? That sounds stupid.” He crossed his arms and turned away from the rest of his family, who all looked displeased.  
“It’s actually very fun and beneficial to an education,” Sagax persuaded. “I think you’d like it, Manus. Just give it a try.”  
“I wouldn’t be caught _dead_ onstage doing something as ridiculous as that,” Manus scoffed.  
“But Manusssss,” Libertas begged, “it’ll be fun! Laetus, Fides, and I are doing it! And Sagax will be the student director! You should totally join!”  
“Besides, we badly need someone to be one of the reindeer,” Sagax added. “It’s the only role we don’t have.” Manus huffed, rolling his eyes.  
“I’m-”  
“Manus would be _delighted_ to join your play!” Erigo exclaimed through clenched teeth. _“Right, Manus?”_  
“Oh my god, I never get to make my own choices do I?” Manus snapped. Erigo faked a smile to Manus, his eyes filled with rage. “Fine, I’ll do the fucking show. As long as Flowey gets to be there too, whether backstage or being assistant director or whatever. I don’t care.” He growled as he stormed upstairs, the sound of him slamming the door to his room echoing across the house.  
“Sorry that I had to force him,” Erigo sighed, crossing his arms. “We’re still working on doing things out of the kindness of your heart, even if you don’t necessarily want to do it.”  
“It’s fine,” Sagax sighed. “Mettaton isn’t excited about the situation either. The thought of directing Manus terrifies him. But it’ll be good for everyone, a way to spread some Christmas cheer to the town!”  
“Do you think that could really help?” Laetus questioned. Sagax smirked, glancing over at the program for her show.  
“I know it will.”

“Alright beauties, gather round!” Mettaton called, gesturing for the small children to circle around him and Sagax. “Hello, my star pupils! Sagax and I are so excited to be working with you for this small production! It’s going to be so much fun!” All of the children, except Manus, cheered.  
“This is Mettaton, your director,” Sagax introduced. “And I’m Sagax, the student director. We also will have an assistant director with us, erm… Flowey.”  
“Woo, yeah, that’s me!” Flowey screamed from his pot, resting in Manus’ hands. The other children looked at each other in confusion.  
“He seriously brought the plant again?” one boy whispered.  
“I thought he’d be confiscated of it after what happened at show and tell day,” another girl added. The children continued to whisper amongst themselves before Sagax whistled loudly. They stopped and turned their heads, staring back at her with wide eyes.  
“We should get started with the roles everyone will play,” Sagax chuckled. “This is a simple song and dance to ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’, so it won’t be anything extravagant.” Mettaton dashed backstage and wheeled out the cart of costumes, containing reindeer costumes and a Santa costume.  
“Let’s start with the reindeer,” Sagax said, looking over the cast list she typed up. “Libertas is Dasher and Manus is Dancer. Benjamin is Prancer and Vivian is Vixen. Max is Comet, Laetus is Cupid, Pete is Donner, and Lexi is Blitzen. Fides, you’re going to be Santa, which means you get the solo in the song.” Fides gasped excitedly.  
“Wait, so who’s going to be Rudolph?” Flowey spat.  
“James,” Sagax answered, gesturing towards the small, shy boy. He stared at his shoes, refusing to look at anybody when he felt the multiple eyes on him. “Ok everybody, go get your costumes from Mettaton!"  
The costumes were very… expressive. Mettaton decorated them himself, and everyone could tell. Each costume was a set of brown clothes, whether a dress or a shirt and pants. All of the clothes were covered with floral designs and glitter, which reflected Mettaton’s likings. Every reindeer also got ears to wear with them, each one having a Christmas bow taped to them.  
“Great costumes,” Flowey muttered, rolling his eyes. Sagax placed Flowey on one of the seats in the front row of the theatre.  
“I didn’t bring you here to insult everyone or everything,” Sagax growled. “Keep your trap shut or I’m putting you outside with the other flowers.” She walked away, beginning to place the kids in their positions for the beginning of the song.  
“Joke’s on her,” Flowey cackled. “Even if I was placed outside with the other flowers, I’d still dominate them.”  
Sagax taught the blocking and dancing for the full song. Mettaton assisted with teaching the children how to be more “fabulous on stage.” Everyone but James and Manus were very excited and worked very hard.  
After the dance was learned and the singing was rehearsed, they began running through the show with music. All of the reindeer, with the exception of Rudolph, started onstage in a horizontal line. The music started, marking their last practice only singing.  
“You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen,” everybody on stage sang. “Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen!” Manus rolled his eyes, screaming, “AND JACKASS!” Lexi gasped, trying to keep a straight face, but she couldn’t help from breaking into laughter, making the other children give her strange looks.  
“Cut!” Sagax yelled. “Are you serious Manus?” He grinned at her, shrugging. She put her head in her hand, taking a deep breath.  
“Ok, let’s start from the beginning, but we go until the end with full blocking,” Sagax called, stepping back off the stage and sitting next to Mettaton. “Start with each of your small dances that you do as you sing your reindeer name!” The music started up again, as Libertas prepared to do her dance first.  
“You know Dasher,” everyone sang. Libertas begun her ballerina spin to the left side of the stage, twirling perfectly. Sagax beamed with delight.  
Then the person behind her stuck his foot out, causing Libertas to trip and fall onto the stage. Sagax and Mettaton both scowled as Flowey cackled with delight, satisfied with what his friend did.  
“And Dancer,” the other children sang. Manus proceeded to do his slide to the right side of the stage. “And Prancer and Vixen…” Benjamin sprinted to the left side of the stage, almost trampling Libertas in the process. Vivian followed, twirling to the right side of the stage.  
“Comet and Cupid,” the reindeer sang. Max tango-danced to the left side of the stage as Laetus wobbled to the right side of the stage. “And Donner and Blitzen.” Pete and Lexi finished off the reindeer’s dances with model-like walking and poses to their side of the stage.  
The stage lights went out, the only light shining on the two groups of reindeer. “But do you recall… the most famous reindeer of all…” Both groups rushed to the center of the stage, where the lights came up again. The eight students surrounded the one misfit reindeer: Rudolph.  
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer had a very shiny nose,” the students sang.  
“That’s your cue James,” Sagax whispered. James, who looked close to crying, pressed the button in his hand that activated the red nose attached to his face, glowing brightly. This sent Sagax and Mettaton into fits of laughter, making tears well up in the young boy’s eyes.  
“And if you ever saw it, you would even say it glowed.” Sagax looked over at James, waiting for him to flick the nose on again. Instead, he took the red nose off his face and threw it onto the stage. Sagax frowned as Mettaton gasped, knowing how expensive the red nose was.  
“All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names.” The eight students spread across the stage, all laughing in various forms at Rudolph, who stayed in the center. James looked close to breaking down, making Sagax grimace with concern.  
“They never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games.” All eight reindeer left the stage, leaving James alone. He looked frail and terrified on the stage alone, with wide eyes and shaking head to toe.  
“Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say,” the children sang from off-stage. Fides came onto the stage with his full Santa costume, grinning ear to ear.  
“Rudolph, with your nose so bright, won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?” Fides sang, at perfect pitch. The eight reindeer ran back onto the stage, coming to the center with James and Fides.  
“Then all the reindeer loved him, and they shouted out with glee _**YIPPEE**_!” everybody sang. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, you’ll go down in history!” The music ended, and everybody proceeded to do their bows. Sagax and Mettaton clapped for them, mostly satisfied. Flowey, however, didn’t clap.  
“For a first run-through, it wasn’t too bad,” Sagax commented.  
“Eh, the only part I liked was when Manus tripped Libertas,” Flowey cackled. Sagax shot a look at Flowey, making him shut his mouth.  
“Ok beauties, that was a pretty smooth first run,” Mettaton commented. “We have to make some changes though. James, are you alright with your role? You looked very unhappy.”  
“I hate the stupid red nose,” James sniffled, crossing his arms. Manus rolled his eyes, annoyed by the kid.  
“And obviously we can’t have Libertas and Manus by each other,” Mettaton hummed. “So that only means one thing! Manus and James, switch roles! You’ll be Rudolph now, Manus!”  
“WHAT?!” Manus screamed, making James cheer with excitement.  
“You heard him. Now get the red nose,” Sagax commanded. Manus opened his mouth and grumbled, stomping towards the nose and picking it up. “Okay everybody, one last run-through of the show!”  
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer had a very shiny nose,” the children sang. With a scowl on his face and no energy whatsoever, Manus slammed his palm on the button that turned on the blinking light attached to his nose.  
“And if you ever saw it, you would even say it glowed.” Manus jabbed the button again, having hopes that the button would get stuck and the light would break.  
“See, now _this_ is good,” Flowey joked next to Sagax. She sighed loudly and buried her head into her hands. How were they going to be ready by tonight?  
It was impossible.  
“Darling,” Mettaton whispered, “if you don't want to do this anymore, just tell me. We can call the show off.” He looked back at the mess of students, watching them trip over each other and roll across the stage. “Honestly, I’m checked out. I’d hate to humiliate these kids and force them to perform this for an audience."  
“Yeah, I agree,” Sagax sighed. “This is too much, and we went over our heads.”  
“We’ll just stick to Broadway from now on,” Mettaton joked. Sagax giggled, liking that plan. He stopped the music and stood up, announcing the new plan to the children.  
Sagax sighed stressfully. She wanted the performance to work out. But sometimes, things not happening end up being the better solution.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to explain my inspiration for this chapter. When I was in kindergarten/first grade (so I was five), my class did a Christmas performance, which was basically just singing and dancing to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I was Dasher, and the person behind me shoved me on-stage, so that inspired the bit with Manus and Libertas. ;) And then the kid who played Rudolph hated the red nose he had to wear, and it reminded me of Manus lmao. But yeah, that nostalgic memory was my inspiration for this. I hope you all liked it!


	5. All I Want For Christmas...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 5: The parent/caretaker of your OCs ask them to make their Christmas lists. (Or if one of your OCs is a parent, they ask their children to make a list.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it's short and not very descriptive, I have the worst migraine right now lol. But I got it done, so I'm happy.

Frisk turned the frost-covered handle, opening up the front door to their house. They sighed in relief as they felt the warmth of home engulf them. The stress that had been on their shoulders for the past couple weeks released. They were finally calm.  
“I’m home!” they called out. Silence returned, making Frisk arch an eyebrow. “Uh, Toriel? Erigo? Anyone home?”  
“Frisk?” a sweet, motherly voice called back. Frisk’s smile brightened when they saw Toriel appear from the kitchen, grinning as well. She ran to them and swallowed them in a hug. “Welcome home, my child. How did the meetings with the government go?”  
“Not as smoothly as I wanted them to go,” they sighed. “I may have to go back there really soon. I just wanted to come home and see everyone for a few days, especially since these meetings may go longer into December.”  
“But surely not through Christmas, right?” Toriel questioned. Frisk bit their lip and shrugged, uncertain. “Oh dear. Well, let's not think of that now. Come on, I’ll show you where the others are!”  
The two of them went to the kitchen, where the other children were. Even Flowey was there, placed on the table by Manus. Each of them had a piece of paper and a pencil with them. Libertas looked up first, gasping when she saw Frisk.  
“Frisk’s home!” she cried. She jumped up from her chair and threw her tiny arms around them. They laughed and hugged her back. “We’ve missed you!”  
“I’ve missed you all, too,” Frisk chuckled. The others stood up and hugged them, sharing their greetings as well.  
“Ok, my children, have you finished your lists?” Toriel asked.  
“Lists for what?” Frisk questioned.  
“Lists for Christmas!” Laetus answered. “We all made a list of what we want for Christmas so that Toriel has an idea of what to get us.”  
“Gotcha,” Frisk sighed. They watched Toriel collect the papers, smiling. “Well, I should probably go and unpack my bag. I’ll be right back.”  
“Wait Frisk, don’t you have to do your list?” Fides asked.  
“I can do mine later, I’m just very tired,” Frisk sighed. They exited the kitchen and went up to their room to unpack from the long trip. It didn't take long before they found comfort in their bed and they fell into a well-deserved slumber.

Toriel sat on her special chair, humming a cheery tune to herself as she looked over the lists her children made. She looked up, adjusting her eyeglasses, as she noticed Frisk coming down the stairs.  
“Oh, hello my child!” Toriel greeted. “You slept for a while, did you have a nice nap?”  
“I did,” Frisk mumbled, still waking up a little. They sat at the couch and looked around. “Where’s everyone else?”  
“Libertas and Erigo went out, I think they went early Christmas shopping,” Toriel said. “Sagax went to Valentina’s, Fides and Laetus joined Alphys at the lab for some late-night tests, and Manus is up in his room. I thought I heard some music from that band he’s been really into lately, but it stopped a while ago.”  
“Oh yeah, I heard that,” Frisk sighed. “Erigo and Manus got into a fight about it, and I think that’s why he went out with Libertas.” They laughed, crossing their arms. “They haven't changed since I left, huh?”  
“Not a bit,” Toriel chuckled, heaving a relaxed sigh. She looked back down at the papers in her hands. “I was just looking through the Christmas lists that the children made. Some of them are simple, and the others are… something.”  
“Like what?” Frisk laughed.  
“Libertas is simple, she asked for flower crowns, dresses, other clothes, things along those lines,” Toriel listed. “Sagax will be pretty easy too; she asked for makeup, bath bombs, and other Lush products. But then there’s Laetus, who asked for things like waveform generators and chronometers.” Frisk bursted into laughter.  
“I don’t even know what those are,” Frisk giggled.  
“Me neither, I feel bad,” Toriel laughed. “I’ll get him science gear, of course. I guess it’ll just have to be stuff that I understand and can afford.” Frisk nodded.  
“What did Erigo, Manus, and Fides ask for?” Frisk asked.  
“Erigo’s going to be hard too; he only put down money,” Toriel sighed. “But I don't want to do that. I want to get him something nice. I have a couple ideas, like a leather jacket or new shoes, but I’m not sure. Manus is going to be something spontaneous, because he put down stuff like a flamethrower.”  
“Flowey probably told him to put that down,” Frisk remarked with a smirk on their face.  
“Probably,” Toriel sighed. “But I was thinking maybe vinyls of the bands he's been listening to? Or maybe a punching bag for whenever he’s angry?”  
“That could work,” Frisk agreed.  
“Fides wants lots of space and nature-related science things, so I think he’ll be easy to shop for too,” Toriel agreed. “Now the only person I need to hear from is you, Frisk.”  
“Me?” Frisk chuckled.  
“Yes, my child, what do you want for Christmas?” Toriel questioned. Frisk sighed, twiddling their thumbs.  
“Oh, not much,” Frisk sighed. “Maybe a couple books and things along those lines. But quite honestly, the only thing that I want is… to be home for the holidays.” Toriel sighed sadly, hugging her child.  
“I’m sorry you may be away for Christmas,” Toriel whispered. “When do you leave next?”  
“The night of the tenth,” Frisk answered. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone for.”  
“Well, then we’ll just have to make it last until then,” Toriel said. “We could go out shopping for the others between then and now. You seem to have many good ideas for the children.”  
“Yeah, I guess I do,” Frisk sighed, smiling. They were happy to be home, even if it was for a little bit. And the thought of going to get gifts for their family filled them with a strong sense of determination.


	6. Sagax and Laetus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 6: Two of your OCs who aren't very close to each other begin talking to each other while sitting by a fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas Eve everyone! Sorry for how far behind I've fallen. I'll try to catch up as much as possible today, but I may go a little over Christmas for writing. Oh well haha. For now, enjoy these two cuties!

Laetus stared into the orange fire, observing each movement it made. They could feel the heat from the flames radiating against their face, brightening the glare against their glasses. A crackle of the wood made them jump as they looked around.  
“Laetus?” They turned around to find Sagax at the entryway of the living room.  
“What are you doing still up? I thought you’d be asleep by now.”  
“No, I couldn’t sleep,” they sighed, looking back at the fire. “I’m going to go up when the fire dies out, but for now I’m just watching it.”  
“Mind if I join you?” Sagax asked. Laetus nodded, sliding down a little to let Sagax sit by the fire too. She kneeled next to them, watching the flames as well.  
“H-How was Valentina’s house?” Laetus stuttered. Sagax smiled a little, thinking back to having dinner over there.  
“It was fun,” Sagax giggled. “We haven't been able to see each other much, between Broadway and her schooling. Plus having to catch up on schoolwork. We had a great time, she never fails to brighten my day. She told me lots of spaghetti puns as we were eating dinner, and then we baked a cake together. It ended with us getting into a frosting war.” Sagax giggled, reliving the moment from a few short hours ago. “There’s never a dull moment with Val.” Laetus smiled.  
“You really like her, don’t you?” Laetus said. “I can practically see the serotonin filling in your brain just from the thought of her.”  
“You’re not wrong,” Sagax giggled. “She’s just…” She stopped for a moment, smiling largely. “She’s funny and caring and sweet. But at the same time, she’s so bold and elegant. Everything about her, inside and out, is just so _beautiful_. I never realized so much beauty could fit inside of a person until I met her.” She rested her chin on her arms, sighing happily.  
“How did you two meet?” Laetus questioned, adjusting their glasses.  
“The first time I saw her was in my art class,” Sagax sighed. “I remember how she made my heart stop, and I couldn’t stop looking at her. I learned that she was actually a year older than me, so I had Erigo get more information about her for me.” Laetus burst into laughter.  
“ _Erigo_ was your wingman?!” they cackled.  
“Well, if you put it that way, I guess he was,” Sagax chuckled. “He found out things about her as they talked more. I know he also hinted me at her, talking about me and showing pictures of me. We talked only a little after, but not a ton. Then she invited us to a party her friend was having one weekend. And let's just say… the rest is history.”  
“Wow,” Laetus sighed. “You two seem like you’re really in love with each other.” Sagax smiled, closing her eyes.  
“We are,” she whispered. “She’s one of the greatest things to ever happen to me.”  
“Aw,” Laetus sighed. “I’m really happy for you two.” They stared back at the fire, which was slowly dying out.  
“Thanks,” Sagax said, a giggle following. She looked back at Laetus, noticing how they stared blankly at the fire. “Hey, you’re going to find someone too. I promise, you’re going to make your future partner the luckiest person to live.”  
“I hope so,” Laetus mumbled. Sagax scrunched her face, feeling bad about their low spirits.  
“Uh, how are experiments with Alphys going?” Laetus perked their head up, seeing the sincerity in Sagax’s eyes. They smiled widely.  
Nobody ever asked them about the experiments with Alphys before.  
“They’re improving,” they answered. “More and more of the local scientists are becoming comfortable working with us. It was hard at first, since I’m a child and Alphys is a monster. But hey, it looks like things can change for the good.”  
“That’s awesome!” Sagax exclaimed. “That’s all I want for our community; for monsters and humans to be treated equally.”  
“Me too,” Laetus sighed. “I know Frisk is hard at work with making laws less strict on the monsters. And they've made great improvements so far. I just wish the people here weren’t so prejudiced against the monsters.”  
“Yeah, it’s going to take a lot of work,” Sagax sighed. “But I know we can do it.” Laetus nodded in agreement. Comfortable silence surrounded the two of them for a few minutes.  
“Sagax, when do you leave for your Broadway shows again?” Laetus asked.  
“I leave on the eleventh and will be back on the sixteenth,” she answered. “Then we have until January second off. But when we start picking up again, I'll be gone a lot. I’m a little worried about it honestly.”  
“Worried?” Laetus questioned. “Why are you worried? You were gone most of the summer for _Sweeney Todd_ and you seemed to handle it well.”  
“Yeah, but that was also when we first got to the surface,” Sagax added, “when we didn’t have school or jobs. When I didn’t have a girlfriend and things like that to maintain. It’ll be hard juggling it all.”  
“True,” Laetus sighed. “But I know you can handle it, no matter what.” Sagax chuckled.  
“Thanks,” she whispered. Sagax and Laetus looked back at the fire. The flames were long gone, leaving the coals by themselves.  
“I should probably go and sleep now, it's almost midnight,” Sagax sighed. “We can do something tomorrow if we want.”  
“Hmm… I want us all to do a movie marathon,” Laetus requested. “Christmas movies. That sounds like fun.”  
“Yeah, that does,” Sagax giggled. “Let’s see what I can do.” She stood up, waiting for Laetus to stand too. They walked back upstairs together, going their separate ways to their rooms.


	7. Cold Miser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 7: Your OCs have a Christmas movie marathon together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to fallentale for inspiring this chapter. Thanks pal!
> 
> Honestly I don't know what prompted me to write about the Miser Brothers. But hey, it worked.  
> Also sorry about how short/non-descriptive this day is. I wrote this half-awake during a migraine. Oops.

“What movies are we going to watch?” Libertas asked, squirming in her seat on the couch. Erigo, Manus, and Fides joined her on the couch. Sagax sat at a chair and turned on the television. Laetus sat on the ground next to the couch, along with Frisk.  
Sagax went to the previously recorded playlist, scrolling through titles to find Christmas movies.  
“Uh, we don’t have much,” Sagax sighed.  
“Ooh, watch _Criminal Minds_!” Manus exclaimed, a devious smile on her face.  
“No Manus,” Erigo growled.  
“We're going to watch Christmas movies, not creepy FBI shows,” Sagax interjected. Manus rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and mumbling, “Boring.”  
“Oh, I found a movie,” Sagax said. “ _The Year Without a Santa Claus_.”  
“Hm, it sounds familiar,” Erigo hummed. “Maybe I watched it when I was younger.”  
“Well, let’s try it,” Sagax chuckled. She clicked play. The others all shifted around, getting comfortable. Then they all proceeded to grab popcorn and candy.

“I don’t get the plot of this,” Manus mumbled.  
“You would get it if you were paying attention,” Erigo snapped. “Now be quiet! Iggy and Mrs. Claus are about to see the Miser Brothers!”  
“Wha…” Manus whispered.  
“Nobody in the movie believes in Santa Claus, right?” Libertas whispered. “So Mrs. Claus and the boy Iggy, along with two of Santa’s elves, decide to give Santa an official day off. But the only way to do that is to make it snow in a town that never gets snow. So they have to see Snow Miser, who controls the cold.”  
“Huh,” Manus grumbled.  
“He should be named Cold Miser.”  
Everyone stopped and looked over at Laetus, confused.  
“What?” Fides questioned. “Where did that come from?”  
“If you think of it scientifically, he controls all the cold weather,” Laetus stated. “He doesn't control only snow. He controls the temperature too. So he should actually be named Cold Miser, to fit the description of his job.”  
“Look kid, I actually like you and all, but you're talking crazy,” Manus muttered, burying himself deeper into his midnight black blanket.  
“I think it makes sense,” Frisk blurted, shrugging. The others, with the exception of Manus, chorused in laughs.

“Why the fuck are we watching this?” Sagax mumbled, half awake. She looked at the poor animation of the Northern Winds sing about killing Santa Claus so that he could take over Christmas. “What have we become? Why are we watching this meme overload? Who’s idea was it to watch _A Miser Brother’s Christmas_?!”  
“Libertas,” everyone else groaned.  
“I'm sorry, I just thought it sounded good,” she cried.  
“Well, you failed,” Manus snapped. Erigo eyed Manus, looking ready to yell at him. “That’s it, I’m out.” Manus, still wrapped in his black blanket, stood up and left the living room.  
“Well, at least Cold Miser is in it, right Laetus?” Frisk joked, elbowing them. Laetus chuckled and sighed.  
“Yeah,” they said. They smiled, enjoying spending time with all of their siblings.


	8. Deck the Halls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 8: Your OCs try to work together to put up and decorate the Christmas tree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's technically past midnight where I am, so Merry Christmas! My goal was to finish Day 8 before I sleep, and then do as much as possible on Christmas Day (let's see how that goes lmao). And then I'll have all next week to wrap up my procrastination.
> 
> When this challenge is done, I'll be back to posting for Magic Like No Other and the Bigby Shorts!

Erigo came into the living room, carrying a large box. He wheezed as he slammed it onto the ground, feeling his arms burn from carrying it from the basement to there. He breathed heavily, slowly regaining his strength.  
“He got it!” Libertas exclaimed. She ran to the box and tore it open, searching through the stuff inside.  
“Hey, hey, wait,” Erigo laughed. “We have to wait for the others to put ornaments up.” Libertas sighed, feeling less patient than usual, as she sat back and waited.  
“We’re back!” Sagax called. She closed the front door and entered the living room, with Frisk and Laetus following. “Whatcha doing?”  
“We’re going to decorate the Christmas tree!” Libertas giggled, excited. She dug through the box, then gasped. “Erigo, there’s a unicorn ornament!” He laughed in response.  
“Okay, I guess we could start putting them up,” Erigo laughed. Libertas squealed and clapped, deciding a place for the ornament and hooking it onto a branch.  
“How _cute_ are these!” Sagax gushed, picking up a ballerina ornament. She proceeded to put that ornament on the tree. Laetus and Frisk followed, putting various ornaments across the tree.  
“Ooh, you guys are putting up the tree?” Fides exclaimed. The others turned around, nodding. “You forgot to put the most important part on it! The tinsel!”  
“Oh, we did forget that, did we?” Sagax mumbled.  
“Don’t worry, I found some in the box!” Libertas exclaimed, pulling silver tinsel out. With the help of Erigo and Fides, the tinsel was evenly and perfectly spread across the tree.  
The six of them used everything in the box, decorating the tree with various ornaments of different shapes and colors. The tinsel shone brightly, along with the white lights on the tree.  
“This looks great, but we’re missing one more important part,” Frisk said, holding the star in their hand. “Who wants to put it up?” Everyone looked at each other, trying to figure out who wanted to put it up.  
“Manus!” Laetus exclaimed, seeing him walk down the stairs. He stopped and looked at them, his eyebrows furrowed. “Do you want to put the star on top of the tree?”  
“What?” Manus questioned. “You want _me_ to put the star on the tree?”  
“Yeah, why not?” Erigo agreed. He gave Manus a genuinely kind smile, shocking him. He sighed, trying to act casual about it, and walked into the living room.  
“Here, I’ll help you,” Erigo said as Libertas gave Manus the star. He lifted him up onto his shoulders, making him tall enough to put the star on the tree. Manus felt kindness grow in his soul as he placed the golden star on the very top of the tree.  
“Yay, Manus!” Libertas exclaimed. Everyone else cheered for each one of their commitments to the tree. Erigo put Manus back down to see a small smile on his face.  
“Thanks,” Manus whispered, not trying to hide his smile this time. Erigo slapped him on the back, winking at him and nodding.


	9. Carols and Cookies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 9: One OC convinces the other OCs to go Christmas caroling together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to build up to Day 10, so yeah... wahahah. Enjoy. ;)

“This was actually a really good idea, Sagax,” Fides remarked as the group of kids left the doorstep of a house, with the owners waving them goodbye at the entrance. “I didn’t realize how much fun Christmas caroling would be!”  
“It seemed necessary,” Sagax sighed. “Between Frisk leaving tomorrow and myself leaving in less than a week, I wanted us all to go and do some fun Christmas activities! Plus, Val was able to join us too!”  
“You know I’d join if you were going to be there,” Valentina giggled, grabbing Sagax’s hand and swinging it back and forth. Sagax blushed, her cheeks glowing in the powdery snow falling to the ground.  
“Which house are we off to now?” Libertas called.  
“We should go to that one,” Laetus suggested, pointing at a white house with multi-colored Christmas lights covering it. In the yard was a large blow-up snowman. “I just thought it looked cool.”  
“Sure, let’s do it!” Sagax exclaimed. She and Valentina led the way, all the children following them like ducklings. Manus, however, was the slowest.  
“What are you doing?” Erigo whispered, walking at Manus’ pace.  
“This is stupid, I don’t want to sing for strangers,” Manus grumbled. “I hate singing in general.”  
“Just lip-sync, please humor Sagax,” Erigo growled. “She and Frisk are leaving soon, just do it.”  
“Ugh, why do you always tell me what to do?!” Manus yelled.  
“Because _I’m_ your _legal_ guardian!” Erigo snapped.  
“Does it look like I _care_ about that?” Manus screamed. He stomped away from Erigo, catching up to Laetus. Erigo stayed behind everyone else, crossing his arms and staring at the ground. He kicked a patch of snow each time he came across one.  
Libertas looked back at him, seeing the frustration and disappointment on Erigo’s face. She sighed, beginning to feel worried for him. Her concerns were interrupted though when the group arrived at the house.  
"Which song are we going to do?” Frisk asked.  
“Hmm, Val you can choose this one,” Sagax said, leaning her head on Valentina’s shoulder.  
“Ok,” she laughed. “Let’s do… ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’.”  
Everyone else, with the exception of Erigo and Manus, commented things along the line of, “Good choice.” and, “That’s a good one.”  
With Sagax being at the front of the group, she rang the doorbell. A minute later, a woman in her late-30’s, with ruffled, red hair and glaring hazel eyes opened the door.  
“One, two, three, four,” Valentina whispered. The kids began to sing in harmony.  
“We wish you a Merry Christmas. We wish you a Merry Christmas. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Ye-”  
 _Slam!_  
Everyone fell silent, making the atmosphere loud. Everyone stared back at the door, disappointed at the woman’s behavior. They sighed, stepping off the porch one by one.  
“This should probably be our last stop,” Sagax whispered, the most hurt of them all. Valentina sighed sadly, hating to see her girlfriend and her family shot down by a grumpy townsfolk.  
“I know what can cheer us up,” Valentina blurted. “Let's go to the local bakery and get some cookies.”  
“Ooh, yeah!” Libertas exclaimed, her eyes lightening up again. Everyone else nodded happily, spirits rising already.  
“I know the way to the bakery,” Valentina said, changing direction and starting towards the bakery. The others followed her, chattering amongst themselves.  
“Erigo?” Erigo snapped out of his thoughts and looked over, seeing Libertas. She looked worried. “Are you ok?”  
“Yeah, yeah,” Erigo lied. Libertas stared at him, not buying his lie. “I mean, I will be. It’s just stress.”  
“Ok…” Libertas mumbled, still looking concerned. She walked faster, catching up to Fides.  
Erigo crossed his arms and stared again. He felt the stress building more and more on his shoulders. He was hoping caroling would help, but it seemed to add more stress.


	10. Stress Drinking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 10: One of your OCs are experiencing seasonal depression and get drunk, and the other OCs have to take care of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> READ THIS BEFORE CONTINUING PLEASE!!!
> 
> I'm putting a trigger warning here. Do not read if you get triggered by abuse mention or alcohol. PLEASE don't read it if that'll hurt you in any way. I don't want to hurt anyone with this chapter.

“Oh God.” Erigo held his head, thumps from a migraine echoing through his ears. He heard ringing in his right ear as he hiccuped loudly. Staring down at the once-full bottle of vodka in his left hand, he rubbed his eyes with his free hand.  
His heart raced faster. The anxiety wouldn’t go away. Erigo searched in the dark for a bottle with liquid still in it. He took one, opened it, and took a large gulp.  
The strong sensation of red wine filled his tastebuds and tingled his throat as he swallowed it. He sighed, trying to make the sting in his mouth go away. Even someone as physically tough as him couldn't handle the alcoholic containments of wine.  
But he couldn’t stop.  
Tears welled up in his eyes, taking over his vision. Even after he blinked them away, his head spun in coordination with his blurry eyesight. He tried to take another swig out of the bottle, but his coordination caused him to spill the wine onto his shirt.  
“DAMMIT, I CAN’T DO ANYTHING RIGHT!” Erigo screamed, his eyes filling with tears again. He allowed them to roll down his face as he forced another mouthful of the wine. He clenched his free hand as he forced the strong, bad-tasting alcohol down his throat, as if it was his punishment.  
He couldn't even think straight. He didn’t remember how he ended up on the floor of the kitchen, or what it was in his mind that made him tempted to open the cabinet stocked with Toriel’s liquor. All he knew was why he felt awful enough to drown his brain in alcohol.  
The lights turned on, causing his eyes to burn and his head to thump louder.  
“What the hell are you doing?!” Erigo boomed. He looked up at the figure in front of him, but couldn’t make out whose face it was. “Well?!”  
The person stood silent. Erigo huffed, taking the wine bottle and chugging again. He wiped his mouth carelessly after, not actually giving a damn about where the remains of the wine would end up. Erigo furrowed his eyebrows, noticing the person hadn’t moved since he turned the lights on.  
“Hey, if you’re gonna stand here and watch me drink my life away, at least turn the lights off!” Erigo snapped. He shielded his eyes from the light. “The light hurts, so turn it off!”  
The outline of the person in front of him disappeared. And without turning the lights off. Erigo cursed as he tried to stand, resulting in him falling back onto the tile floor from his lack of mobility. He cursed multiple times, reaching out for the wine bottle a fourth time.

“Sagax!”  
Sagax shifted in bed. She mumbled a little before burying herself back into her blankets and shutting her sleep-deprived eyes tighter. She sighed, relaxing in the comfort of her bed.  
“Sagax, please help,” a small voice whispered. Whoever it was sounded like they were on the verge of crying, and the voice was desperate. Sagax groaned a little, sitting up in her bed. She rubbed her eye and yawned. She saw the door to her room open, a small bit of light from downstairs pooling into the dark. She gasped when she saw who was at the door.  
Fides. With tears streaming down his face, panicking.  
“Fides, come here.” Sagax patted a spot on the bed in front of her. She turned the lamp next to her on so they could see. Fides closed the door behind him, sniffling. He sat down on Sagax’s bed, not able to look at her.  
“What’s wrong?”  
“I-I-It’s…” Fides began. He broke into hysterical sobs again, not able to stop himself. He buried his head into his arms, muffling his screams and sobs.  
“Hey, hey,” Sagax gasped, rubbing Fides’ back as an attempt to calm him. She then stopped, noticing his screams and mumbles. “Fides, are you having an episode?” He inhaled sharply before nodding quickly. Sagax could feel his anxiety raise as he hyperventilated faster. She grabbed his arms and forced him to look up at her.  
“Look at me,” she commanded. “You’re here. You’re with Libertas, Manus, Laetus, Erigo, and-”  
“Erigo,” Fides gasped, his hands shaking. “It was Erigo. He did it. He… he-” Fides threw his head into Sagax’s shoulder, sobbing loudly.  
“What did he do?” Sagax questioned. He’d never try to hurt the poor boy, especially since he knew of his past. “Did _Erigo_ trigger your episode?” Sagax looked down at Fides’ head, which nodded. She felt her gut knot up.  
That didn’t sound like him at all. Sure he had a tempter, but only around Manus and occasionally her.  
“What did he do?”  
“He-He-” Fides stopped. He breathed to the beat of Sagax’s heart, finding comfort in the slow thump against his ear. He sat up and rubbed his face, smearing the tears but keeping his vision from blurring again. He held back more tears as he said with a cracked voice,  
“H-He’s drunk.”  
Sagax went numb. That wasn’t Erigo _at all_. He’d never touched alcohol in his life, with the exception of once when Toriel offered him a small bit at dinner. Other than that, he was good about staying away from alcohol and keeping the others, Manus especially, from it.  
What was he doing?  
“I-I’ve been better at handling alcohol now,” Fides mumbled, not able to stop himself from babbling. “I don’t freak out at the sight of it or even smelling it anymore. But sometimes I still panic when people drink lots of it, even though I’ve been getting better at that too. But Sagax.” She looked into his small eyes, full of fear and pain. “He sounded so much like him. The cursing, the way he talked, the tone. He had a crazed, yet drunken look in his eye that reminded me of him. I didn’t know what to do. How could someone like Erigo look so much like _him_?” Sagax, obviously concerned, gave Fides a large hug to calm him down more.  
“I’ll take care of it, don’t worry,” Sagax whispered. She grabbed her music and gave it to Fides, playing her calm playlist. “Stay here until I get back, ok?” Fides nodded, already looking calmer. She opened and closed the door, making her way to the kitchen.  
As she got closer and closer to the kitchen, she was able to hear Erigo cursing get louder. His speech sounded slurred, and she could hear alcohol bottles swap places with one another, noisily clanking against each other. It made her anxious to hear him that way. She never was used to his temper, even if she acted like she was. She jumped suddenly when she heard him attempt to stand and fall again, with what sounded like a bottle crashing onto the ground.  
 _“How are the others not awake from this?”_ Sagax questioned. She gulped as she reached the entryway of the kitchen. She stepped in and gasped at the sight.  
Erigo leaned against the kitchen cabinets, the one containing the alcohol stash wide open. Three bottles were scattered in front of him, one empty and the others less than halfway full. A fourth one was broken, with glass shards piled and drenched in caramel-colored alcohol. Sagax assumed it was Toriel’s bottle of whiskey.  
“Erigo?” Sagax gasped. He looked over at her and shrugged her away, picking up the wine bottle to drink from. Sagax kneeled in front of him and snatched the bottle away from him.  
“What the fuck are you doing?” Erigo growled.  
“I’m keeping you from getting alcohol poisoning, that’s what,” Sagax answered calmly. She picked up the other bottles and placed them on the counter where he wouldn't try to reach them. She picked the vodka bottle up again, noticing it was empty. “How much have you drank?”  
“The vodka bottle was mostly empty, so I finished that one,” he slurred, hiccuping in-between his sentence, “and then I had a little bit of the wine and the gin. They were both less than full, so maybe half for each one?”  
“What are you doing to yourself?” Sagax whispered. She put the bottle back on the counter and crossed her arms. “Why are you drinking?”  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Erigo whispered, giggling afterwards. Sagax frowned.  
“You know that’s the only alcohol Toriel gets for the year!” Sagax exclaimed. “They don’t let monsters buy alcohol as easily as humans, and you know that.” Erigo shared Sagax’s frown, his eyes shut angrily and his fists shaking.  
“And what about Fides? You didn’t even think of him! He saw you in this state, and now he’s petrified! You know his father was an-”  
“SHUT UP!” Erigo screamed. “EVERYTHING IS ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE! NOBODY EVER THINKS OF ME! WELL GUESS WHAT? I HAVE FEELINGS TOO, I GET SAD TOO! BUT NOBODY GIVES A FUCK FOR THE PARENTAL FIGURE, BECAUSE I’M JUST EXPECTED TO BE FINE ALL THE TIME! BUT I’M JUST A TEEN, EVEN IF I’M SUPPOSED TO BE THE ADULT OF THE HOUSE!”  
Erigo buried his head into his arms, shaking. Sagax could hear him holding back tears and anxiety by taking shaky breaths. She sat down next to him, rubbing his back.  
“How long have you been holding in all this stress?” Sagax whispered.  
“Si-Since we got to the surface and the government established me as the legal human guardian of this family,” Erigo hiccuped.  
“Erigo,” Sagax gasped.  
“I had to!” he exclaimed, his eyes glossed over from crying and still feeling the effects of the alcohol. “I’m responsible for you, Fides, Manus, Libertas, _and_ Laetus. I have to act at Toriel’s maturity level now. I can’t be crying to people when I have a problem. I have to b-be a man…” He hiccuped again, holding his head. “How mature of me, crying to you about my pointless problems.”  
“No, it’s ok,” Sagax hushed. Erigo broke down all over again, sobbing and hiccuping. “Shh, stop. Look at me Erigo.” His tear-covered face looked up at Sagax. “I think you’re forgetting how small our age differences are. Sure, you’re legally our parental figure, but in our hearts you’re our brother first. You’re still a teen, and you have problems. Everyone does technically, and you can’t internalize that.”  
“Bu-But I have to be a role model,” Erigo babbled. “I can’t rant to the ones I’m responsible for about my problems.”  
“Think about this,” Sagax said, grabbing Erigo by the hands and rubbing them. “How are you being a good role model; by drinking your problems away and showing that alcohol is the solution? Or by telling someone about your problems in a healthy way and showing that there’s nothing wrong with letting out your stress?”  
Erigo opened his mouth to answer. He then closed it, his jaw clenching. He stared at the ground, and Sagax couldn’t tell if he was spacing out from drinking so much or thinking.  
“God, I’m such a bad influence,” Erigo mumbled, looking at the alcohol bottles.  
“That’s not true, actually,” Sagax interjected. She stood up and took the bottles, throwing away the empty one and putting the others away in the cabinet. “You teach Libertas to stay true to herself. You teach Fides to chase his dreams and not let his past haunt him. You teach Manus to stray from bad, and bad choices lead to consequences. You teach Laetus to never let negativity get to them. And most of all, you teach me how to be a good role model for when you’ll leave and I’ll have to step in.” She threw the glass shards on the floor into the trash. Erigo put on a soft smile, feeling a little better.  
“Come on, let’s sit in the living room,” Sagax whispered. She filled a glass with water and grabbed some ibuprofen. She helped Erigo up from where he was sitting and carefully led him to the living room couch. She sat him down and offered him the water and ibuprofen, then sat next to him.  
“Please talk to me,” she whispered as he took the ibuprofen and drank the water. “What specifically has been bothering you?”  
“Well,” he began, sniffling to recover from his mental breakdown, “I’m scared. I really don’t want to mess up this parental role I’ve been given. And I’m worried about what would happen if, let’s say, the government falsely accuses Toriel of something and she’s taken away from us. Then I’m left alone to take care of you all. And you’ll be away for Broadway and other shows, so it’s not like I could rely on you all the time. I don’t know, I’m just growing up really fast. And I don’t know if I’m ready.”  
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Sagax whispered. “Toriel always follows the law; she’s one of the most cautious monsters out there. And if that were to ever happen, I’d stay here to help you. I doubt that’d ever happen, but if it does you have me to rely on. I promise. ” Erigo sniffed.  
“Thanks,” he mumbled. He threw her into a huge hug. She smiled and hugged him too, rubbing his back. Sagax looked up to find Fides at the staircase, looking at them with concern and worry. She smiled and nodded, telling him she had everything under control.  
 _“Thank you,”_ Fides mouthed to her. He cautiously left, going back to his room to sleep. Sagax felt her heart warm up.  
“Is there anything else you need to get off your chest?” Sagax asked. Erigo took a deep breath, thinking. Sure there were smaller things associated to the primary problem, but he didn’t feel it was necessary. He was reassured enough.  
“I’m good,” he answered. “They’re just smaller things, mainly about Manus. I’m just frustrated because I feel like anything I try to teach him about he ignores. This stupid ‘emo phase’ he’s doing isn’t helping either. I know he’s doing that just to piss me off, and it’s working.”  
“You know how he is though,” Sagax said. He nodded. “He’s a work in progress, and he’s still trying to adjust to everything going on. Once the whole act gets boring to him, it’ll stop.”  
“I know,” Erigo sighed. “I’m trying to be more understanding of that.”  
“I know you are,” Sagax said with a calming tone. Erigo mumbled an, “Mm-hmm.” He rubbed his eyes tiredly. He could feel the hangover already, with his migraine escalating and his eyes becoming droopy.  
“I’ll help you to your room,” Sagax offered, seeing the dark circles under Erigo’s eyes. He nodded, saying thanks, and attempted to stand on his wobbly legs. Sagax helped him, placing her arm under his, and led him to his room to sleep away his hangover.  
“Erigo, can you promise me something?” Sagax asked when they reached the end of the hall to his room. “Please don’t ever drink as heavy as you did tonight again.”  
“I-I promise,” he mumbled. She smiled and opened the door to his room, letting him into his room by himself. She turned and walked back towards her room.  
“Sagax,” Erigo called out, a little weak and tired. She spun around to see his head poking out from his room. “Thanks.” She smiled, full of integrity and gratefulness.  
“Of course,” she said. She turned back around and walked back to her room. That night, she felt more mature than ever in her life.


End file.
